CN107810530A - Temperature treatment in data storage device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present application discloses systems and methods for managing temperature in data storage devices. Data storage devices include non-volatile solid-state memory, temperature sensors, heating devices, and controllers. The controller is configured to: receive a temperature signal from a temperature sensor indicative of a temperature of at least a portion of the data storage device; determine that the temperature is below a first predetermined threshold; activate the heating device to increase the temperature of the data storage device a temperature of at least a portion; and writing data associated with the write to command to the non-volatile solid state memory.

Description

Temperature Management in Data Storage Devices

technical field

The present disclosure relates to data storage systems. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to systems and methods for managing temperature in data storage devices.

Background technique

Some data storage devices may be adversely affected by high device temperatures during data programming. Low temperatures in data storage devices can lead to damage to the physical device hardware and/or data retention/corruption issues.

Description of drawings

Various embodiments are depicted in the drawings for illustrative purposes and should in no way be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, various features of different disclosed embodiments may be combined to form additional embodiments which are also a part of this disclosure.

Figure 1 is a block diagram representing a data storage system in accordance with one or more embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a graph illustrating performance in a data storage device with respect to program/erase cycle count, according to one or more embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a graph illustrating performance in a data storage device with respect to program/erase cycle count, according to one or more embodiments.

Figure 4 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for managing temperature in a data storage system, according to one or more embodiments.

Figure 5 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for managing temperature in a data storage system, according to one or more embodiments.

Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating a process for managing temperature in a data storage system, according to one or more embodiments.

Detailed ways

While certain embodiments have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of protection. Indeed, the novel methods and systems described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the methods and systems described herein may be made without departing from the scope of protection.

Headings are provided herein for convenience only and do not necessarily affect the scope or meaning of the claims. Disclosed herein are example configurations and embodiments related to managing temperature in data storage devices.

overview

Data storage devices may be subject to various temperature-related limitations. For example, with respect to solid-state memory, such as NAND flash memory, memory written at relatively low temperatures may have inherently lower data retention than similar memory written at relatively high temperatures or within an optimal temperature range data retention capabilities, which may be consistent with device specifications. In order to improve the data retention capabilities of solid-state memory used in storage systems, it may thus be desirable to only write to the memory when the memory is not undesirably so cold. Furthermore, with respect to hard disk storage devices and/or hybrid storage devices including both hard disk components and solid state storage components, temperatures below the relevant thermal specification range may cause the storage device to fail in some manner and/or induce premature wear. For simplicity, the rotating magnetic components commonly found in hard disk storage devices will be referred to as hard disk components, memory/media components and/or devices. Thus, thermal stability may be a concern in certain data storage environments.

As an example environment where temperature issues may be a concern, data storage devices located in certain environmentally cooled data centers may experience temperatures that may be relatively low, which may in turn lead to reduced data retention and/or other issues. For example, some data centers may implement various measures to conserve power, such as by using ambient air or outside air to cool the data center; when these data centers are located in very cold climates, the ambient temperature may be relatively cold; data storage The equipment may be located in a "refrigerated cooler" or de-energized area within the data center. There may be certain other applications where a data storage device may be powered in an environment that is cooler than the low end of the data storage device's thermal specification. A thermal specification for a data storage device may specify an operating temperature, for example, between 25-85°C. When a data storage device is operated outside of its thermal specifications, damage to the storage device and/or premature wear of some of its memory components, such as the assembled NAND device, may result when the data storage device is powered on.

With respect to solid-state data storage, in order to allow solid-state storage devices or the solid-state memory components of hybrid data storage devices to benefit from increased data retention in potentially cold environments, adding The temperature may be beneficial and may improve performance under certain conditions. Additionally, certain embodiments of the data storage devices disclosed herein are configured to sense device temperature and at least partially limit memory write access (eg, NAND access) until an appropriate memory temperature is reached. Certain embodiments provide for device and/or memory temperature increases through various means or mechanisms. For example, device warm-up may be implemented by performing certain functions of device hardware and/or firmware in order to achieve an appropriate temperature range for programming. In some embodiments, activation of one or more communication interfaces (such as ONFI/TOGGLE interface(s)) of a target memory (eg, solid state memory such as NAND) may be performed in a thermally increasing manner. For example, one or more blocks or other memory segments may be reserved to be erased, programmed and/or read as a mechanism for energizing the memory electronics, thereby consuming additional power and generating additional thermal energy within the device.

With regard to hard disk data storage, in order to allow a hard disk storage device or the hard disk memory component of a hybrid data storage device to function properly, it may be desirable to bring the device temperature up to an optimal operating temperature prior to a complete data/system interaction (e.g., within thermal specification Inside). Certain embodiments disclosed herein provide for temperature monitoring and/or throttling of host access until an appropriate device temperature is reached. To increase hard disk storage temperature, a preheat or heat generation mode may be implemented via firmware and/or dedicated hardware to facilitate more rapid reaching of the operating temperature range. In some embodiments, providing one or more "dirty" tracks (with many especially introduced data error tracks), thereby potentially providing increased power consumption and/or thermal energy within the storage device.

Certain embodiments disclosed herein provide a process for managing temperature in a data storage device. The process may include receiving a temperature signal from a temperature sensor associated with the data storage device, the temperature signal indicative of a temperature of at least a portion of the data storage device. The process may also include determining that the temperature is below a first predetermined threshold, activating a heating device of the data storage device to increase the temperature of at least a portion of the data storage device, and writing data associated with the write command to the non-volatile permanent solid-state memory.

In some embodiments, increasing the temperature of at least a portion of the data storage device above a first predetermined threshold is accomplished at least in part by said activating the heating device. The process may also include determining that a temperature of at least a portion of the data storage device has risen above a second predetermined threshold prior to writing the data to the non-volatile solid-state memory. The first predetermined threshold and the second predetermined threshold may be the same.

The heating device may comprise a resistive heating device. The data storage device may include a printed circuit board (PCB), with non-volatile solid-state memory mounted to a first side of the PCB. In some embodiments, the heating device is mounted to a second side of the PCB opposite the first side. Alternatively, the heating device may be mounted to the first side of the PCB adjacent to the non-volatile solid state memory. In certain embodiments, the first predetermined threshold is about 25°C.

Certain embodiments disclosed herein provide processes for managing temperature in data storage devices including non-volatile media. The process may include receiving a temperature signal from a temperature sensor of the data storage device, the temperature signal indicating a temperature of at least a portion of the data storage device. The process may also include determining that the temperature is below a threshold, initiating activity in one or more components of the data storage device to increase the temperature of at least a portion of the data storage device, and processing a write command to associate Linked data is written to non-volatile media.

In some embodiments, initiating activity in one or more components includes reading data stored in non-volatile media. Additionally or alternatively, initiating activity in one or more components may include introducing errors into data read from the non-volatile medium to increase error correction activity in the data storage device.

Non-volatile media may include magnetic heads and spinning disks, where initiating activity in one or more components includes spinning the spinning disk. Non-volatile media may include magnetic heads and spinning disks, where initiating activity in one or more components involves seeking the magnetic head. In some embodiments, the non-volatile medium includes non-volatile solid-state memory, wherein initiating activity in one or more components includes on a reserved area of the non-volatile solid-state memory that is not used to store host data Perform one or more data operations. Initiating activities in one or more components may include performing data management activities on non-volatile media. After initiating activity in one or more components, the process may also include determining whether the temperature is at or above a threshold, and if so, notifying the host device that it is ready to receive write commands.

Certain embodiments disclosed herein provide a process for managing temperature in a data storage device that includes writing data associated with a write command to the non-volatile solid-state memory of the data storage device, stored by the data storage device. writing temperature data indicated by a temperature sensor of the device, determining that the temperature of at least a portion of the data storage device has risen above a predetermined threshold, and rewriting the data to the non-volatile solid-state memory based at least in part on the writing temperature data .

In some embodiments, rewriting data based at least in part on the write temperature data may include prioritizing garbage collection operations for the data storage device based on the write temperature data. Rewriting data may be performed in response to determining that a temperature of at least a portion of the data storage device has risen above a predetermined threshold. The write temperature data may indicate whether data associated with the write command was written when at least a portion of the data storage device is below a predetermined threshold.

System Overview

Certain embodiments disclosed herein provide novel methods and systems for at least partially extending the lifetime of data storage (eg, solid-state NAND memory) at low temperatures and raw BER (eg, greater than 0.5). For example, the systems and methods provided herein may enable data storage devices to heat solid-state and/or hard disk memory components at low temperatures, and/or protect data recorded at low temperatures, thereby increasing reliability and/or extending the useful life of the memory. Accordingly, certain embodiments may at least partially address issues associated with the vulnerability of certain memory components/devices to program/erase cycles or other interactions at relatively low temperatures, as well as data retention issues. For example, where data is recorded at low temperatures and subsequently retained at high temperatures, data retention may be a concern in certain embodiments.

In solid state devices, various mechanisms may be implemented to increase device activity for the purpose of increasing the temperature within at least a portion of the device. For example, embodiments disclosed herein provide device heating through increased device activity through one or more of the following mechanisms or processes: powering up the device controller with high data rate random activity; random page reads; additional low density parity check (LDPC) channel iteration; and performing additional processor computations in addition to the current duty cycle. Such activity may raise the temperature of the device by as much as 5-15°C in at least a portion of the device. With respect to disk/hard disk media, the temperature increase may be achieved by one or more of the following mechanisms: operation of the head suspension assembly; activation of the spindle motor and/or actuator motor, or other activity. Various other mechanisms may be implemented to increase the temperature in hard disk devices or hybrid data storage devices that include hard disk storage.

A hybrid data storage system is a data storage system that may include one or more data storage subsystems, for example, one or more hard disk drives (HDDs) including magnetic storage media, and non-volatile solid-state media such as NAND flash memory One or more solid-state storage drives (SSDs). In the context of a single device, a hybrid data storage device may include rotating magnetic storage and solid-state storage. Various embodiments disclosed herein may be applied to hard disk storage devices/systems, solid state storage devices/systems, and/or hybrid storage devices/systems. For simplicity of description, a generic single hybrid data storage device may be described herein as an example referring to any of the aforementioned variations of data storage devices/systems.

1 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a combination of a host system 110 and a data storage device 120 incorporating temperature management functionality according to one or more embodiments disclosed herein. As shown, the data storage device 120 includes a controller 130 configured to receive data commands, and to store data in non-volatile solid-state memory 140 (which may include non-volatile solid-state memory cells) and/or Such commands are executed in magnetic storage device 160 (which may include magnetic media 164, such as one or more magnetic disks). The magnetic storage 160 may include an actuator/head assembly 162 for performing reading/writing in the medium 160 . Nonvolatile solid state storage 140 and/or magnetic storage 160 may also include cache memory (not shown).

The host commands received by the controller 130 from the host system 110 may include data read/write commands and the like. Controller 130 may be configured to receive data commands from storage interface (eg, device driver) 112 residing on host system 110 . Data can be accessed/transferred based on such commands. The host's storage interface 112 may communicate with the data storage device 120 using any known communication protocol, such as SATA, SCSI, SAS, USB, Fiber Channel, PCIe, eMMC, and the like.

As used in this application, "non-volatile solid-state memory," "NVSM," "non-volatile memory," "NVM," or variations thereof may refer to solid-state memory such as NAND flash memory. However, the systems and methods of the present disclosure may also be useful in more conventional hard disk drives, as well as hybrid drives that include solid state and hard disk drive components. Solid state memory can include a wide variety of technologies such as flash integrated circuits, phase change memory (PC-RAM or PRAM), programmable metallization cell RAM (PMC-RAM or PMCm), bidirectional unified memory (OUM), resistive RAM (RRAM), NAND memory, NOR memory, EEPROM, ferroelectric memory (FeRAM), MRAM or other discrete NVM (non-volatile solid-state memory) chips. As is known in the art, non-volatile solid state memory arrays or storage devices may be physically divided into planes, blocks, pages and/or sectors. Other forms of storage (eg, battery-backed volatile DRAM or SRAM devices, disk drives, etc.) may additionally or alternatively be used.

Data storage device 120 may store data received from host system 110 such that data storage device 120 acts as a data store for host system 110 . To facilitate this functionality, controller 130 may implement a logical interface. The logical interface can be presented to host system memory as a set of logical addresses (eg, sequential/contiguous addresses) at which data can be stored. Internally, controller 130 may map logical addresses to various physical memory addresses in nonvolatile solid state storage 140 and/or magnetic storage module 160 .

Mapping data indicating the mapping of logical addresses to physical memory addresses may be maintained in the data storage device 120 . For example, to allow the map to be recreated after a power cycle, map data may be stored in non-volatile solid-state storage 140 and/or magnetic storage module 160 . In some embodiments, controller 130 may maintain a map to address solid-state memory maps, whereas the magnetic storage 160 portion of storage device 120 may be directly addressable. Additionally, controller 130 may maintain a specific mapping table to determine whether data is stored in solid-state storage 140 or magnetic storage 160 .

Controller 130 may include one or more memory modules, such as non-volatile memory (eg, ROM) and/or volatile solid-state storage 138 (eg, RAM of DRAM). In some embodiments, controller 130 may be configured to store information (including, for example, operating system code, application code, system tables, and/or other data) in such memory module(s). Upon power up, the controller 130 may be configured to load data for use in the operation of the data storage device 120 . In one embodiment, the controller 130 is implemented on a SoC (system on chip), although those skilled in the art will recognize that other hardware/firmware implementations are possible.

As discussed above, low temperatures in data storage device 120 may lead to increased errors when writing data to solid-state storage 140 and/or magnetic storage 160 under such conditions (low temperatures in data storage device 120) rate and/or premature wear. Typically, for solid-state memory, the error rate may increase in proportion to the degree to which the temperature associated with the memory drops below a threshold, such as 25°C. To prevent or reduce the effects of low temperatures in storage device 120 or a portion thereof, hybrid data storage device 120 may include one or more temperature sensors 150, which may be disposed within the storage device's housing. For example, one or more temperature sensors may be located in physical proximity to either or both of magnetic storage 160, such as in a disk head and/or suspension structure of the magnetic storage, and solid-state storage 140 or Associated with the disk head and/or suspension structure of the magnetic storage. Temperature sensor(s) 150 may be configured to detect a temperature level associated with at least a portion of hybrid data storage device 120 .

In some embodiments, controller 130 is configured to maintain historical data indicating the Write time (eg, timestamp data) and/or temperature. Such data can be used to determine when and/or how to perform various drive maintenance operations, such as wear leveling, garbage collection, and the like. In some embodiments, historical write time and/or temperature data may be dependent on a read threshold level set for solid state memory reads. In some embodiments, data written at lower temperatures may be associated with relatively stronger error rates where data is recorded with increased error correction code/data volume. Such tracking and utilization of write time and/or temperature data may increase the durability of data storage device 120 relative to at least one component or module of device 120 . For example, by vaulting such historical data, when the data storage device later experiences higher temperatures, data written at low temperatures can be identified and prioritized for garbage collection. In one embodiment, the lower the write temperature, the higher the garbage collection priority of the written data.

The controller 130 may include one or more heater devices 152 disposed locally within or adjacent to the storage device 120 . Heater(s) 152 may be implemented to make one or more portions or components of storage device 120 accessible for writing data to either or both solid-state storage 140 and magnetic storage 160 . Accept the temperature.

FIG. 2 is a graph illustrating performance in a data storage device versus program/erase cycle count, according to one or more embodiments. The graph of FIG. 2 may correspond to data retention characteristics associated with data written to solid-state memory (eg, NAND) at about 0° C., which is considered low temperature. The bulk memory reflected in this graph may be, for example, 20nm cMLC. The short dashed curve 201 may represent the bit error rate of the memory detected at about 1 week of data retention, while the middle dashed curve 202 and the long dashed curve 203 may represent at about 1 day of data retention and substantially no data retention, respectively. similar data. As indicated in the graph, solid-state memory can have low data retention at low temperatures during program/erase (P/E) cycles, and this low capacity is exacerbated when the memory is worn , as indicated by the deteriorating bit error rate (RBER) with increasing P/E cycles. Furthermore, it can be especially difficult for memories to retain data programmed at low temperatures. The error correction capability of the channel can be represented by a horizontal line in the graph that indicates a threshold number of bit errors above which uncorrectable and/or unrecoverable errors will result.

FIG. 3 is a graph similar to FIG. 2 , which instead shows performance in a data storage device versus program/erase cycle count in accordance with one or more embodiments. The graph of FIG. 3 may correspond to data written at a higher temperature (eg, at a temperature of about 85° C.) than represented in FIG. 2 . As shown, data written at temperatures within the optimal range can exhibit significantly lower susceptibility to data retention issues, even though the memory has experienced significant wear and tear. All three curves (1-week interval 301, 1-day interval 302, or no time interval 303) show the amount of errors within the channel's error-correcting capabilities.

local heater

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a process 400 for managing temperature in a data storage system, according to one or more embodiments. Process 400 may be implemented to effectively maintain a device temperature in at least a portion of the device (e.g., a temperature associated with non-volatile memory to which host data is written) at a target temperature (such as 25° C.) or a target temperature (such as 25°C), or above a target temperature (such as 25°C).

At block 404, process 400 includes detecting a temperature of at least a portion of the data storage device. For example, one or more temperature sensors may be utilized to determine a temperature in at least one region of a memory device adjacent to a memory module to which data associated with a write command may be written. As noted above, low temperatures may adversely affect data retention in solid-state memory devices and may cause some device failure and/or premature wear in hard disk memory devices. Temperature sensing may be triggered in conjunction with system power-on, and/or may be performed periodically or sporadically. In some embodiments, temperature detection may be triggered by receipt of a write command or other host command.

Regarding solid-state memory, error rates at various data retention intervals may be relatively poor when data is written at low temperatures (eg, 0° C.) compared to high temperatures (eg, 85° C.). Even after a short duration of post-writing, cold-written data may have an error rate higher than the horizontal lines in Figures 2 and 3 showing the error-correcting capabilities of the channel.

At decision block 405, process 400 includes determining whether the detected temperature is below a certain threshold level. In some embodiments, when the device firmware detects that the temperature in at least a portion of the device is below a threshold level (e.g., below 25° C.), process 400 may include further determining whether a critical write condition exists at block 406 , wherein it is necessary or desirable to perform data writing to the nonvolatile memory regardless of the low temperature state of the nonvolatile memory. If so, the process may continue to block 418 where data writes to non-volatile memory may be allowed to proceed according to a data rewrite prioritization scheme. Data rewrite prioritization is described in more detail below in conjunction with FIG. 6 . In some embodiments, the determination at block 406 is not performed, and an affirmative determination at block 405 causes the process to proceed directly to block 407 . At block 407, data writing to the non-volatile memory may be at least partially inhibited in view of the low detection temperature. As noted above, such suppression may sufficiently prevent user data from being written to non-volatile memory under low temperature conditions, which could lead to various adverse effects.

To prevent data from being unnecessarily written to nonvolatile memory at temperatures below a temperature threshold, some embodiments provide for the use of one or more localized heaters to deactivate the nonvolatile memory before allowing data to be written. The temperature associated with the nonvolatile memory reaches a safe level. At block 408, one or more heaters may be enabled to generate thermal energy for heating the associated memory component(s). The thermal energy generated can be proportional to the detected device temperature. In some embodiments, the heating mechanism may generate a thermal energy output corresponding to a substantially linear response based on detected temperatures between a certain temperature range (eg, between 25°C and -40°C). In some embodiments, blocks 404, 405, and 406 may be entered and performed without necessarily depending on receipt of a write command.

If the detected temperature is not below the relevant threshold level, that is, if the temperature of at least a portion of the device is greater than the relevant threshold and is therefore within a satisfactory operating temperature range, then process 400 proceeds to block 416, where it is associated with the write The write data associated with the command is written to the non-volatile memory of the data storage device.

Certain embodiments disclosed herein provide for the use of one or more heater devices disposed in thermal proximity to one or more memory modules, such as solid state(s) memory modules (eg, NAND)). Such heater device(s) may include one or more resistive heater devices and/or one or more other types of heaters. If at block 406 it is determined that the temperature is below the relevant threshold, process 400 proceeds to block 408 where one or more heaters within or associated with or adjacent to the storage device may be activated to heat the data at least a portion of the storage device.

In some embodiments where the target memory includes solid-state memory, the solid-state memory module (eg, NAND) may be provided on a printed circuit board (PCB). To implement the heating function as described herein, one or more resistive heaters may be printed and/or provided on the PCB, wherein such heaters are designed to generate thermal energy from electrical current flowing therethrough. Certain embodiments implement one or more nichrome, tungsten, and/or other types of resistors.

One or more temperature sensors may reside in the device, such as on a printed circuit board (PCB) associated with the solid state memory module. When a temperature below a threshold level (e.g., 25°C) is detected, the heater(s) may be enabled to maintain the temperature of the solid-state memory at or about the threshold temperature, or above or within the threshold temperature temperature within the range.

The heating devices may provide localized heating to one or more memory modules and may be of any desired or suitable configuration, number and/or arrangement. In some embodiments, one or more heaters may be disposed on the underside of the PCB substantially opposite the target memory module. In some embodiments, one or more heaters are disposed at least partially under a memory module (such as a die), on the same side of the PCB as the memory module. Additionally or alternatively, one or more heaters may be disposed at least partially above or on top of the memory module. In some embodiments, one or more heaters may be disposed on or adjacent to one or more sides of a memory module, such as between memory modules on a PCB. The construction of the heating device can advantageously utilize existing electrical systems. In some embodiments, such as hybrid storage device embodiments, one or more heaters may be associated with a head assembly for reading/writing to disk media.

At block 410, process 400 includes again detecting a temperature of at least a portion of the data storage device. At decision block 412, process 400 includes determining whether the temperature of the data storage device has risen above a threshold level after activating one or more heaters. If the temperature of the data storage device or a portion thereof is still below the relevant threshold, process 400 returns to block 410 where, for activated heater(s), more time may be allowed to increase the temperature of the device. If it is determined that the temperature has risen above the threshold, process 400 proceeds to block 414 where one or more heaters may be deactivated. Process 400 may provide for device operation at substantially safe temperatures even when the device is subjected to environmental conditions that include relatively low temperatures, such as temperatures below 0°C. Under such conditions, for hybrid storage devices, the use of disk storage can be limited such that only the solid state memory component(s) are used to write new data.

In the event that the data storage device or a portion thereof is within a satisfactory operating thermal range, at block 416 the process 400 includes allowing data to be written to the non-volatile memory of the data storage device.

Embodiments of the process 400 for relatively rapidly increasing temperature in devices based on, for example, solid-state memory (eg, NAND) below desired operating temperatures may provide enhanced data retention capabilities of solid-state memory. Process 400 may at least partially prevent user data area(s) of solid-state storage from being written to when the device or local storage temperature is undesirably cold, which, as noted above, may significantly degrade the performance of some solid-state storage. Data retention capabilities.

Heated by increased activity

As described herein, components of a data storage device, such as magnetic media, heads, electronics, and/or solid-state memory, may be expected to operate efficiently and reliably within specified ranges. In some environments, there is a possibility that the data storage device is outside of the operating temperature range when power is first applied. During the time it takes a data storage device (such as a disk drive) to "warm up" to the proper temperature, the potential for damage to components (e.g., heads floating at inappropriate heights, premature NAND wear) can cause disadvantages the result of. In addition to disk storage, solid-state storage (e.g., NAND) may advantageously be heated in order to avoid a significant reduction in the data retention capabilities of the storage; prior to writing data to the solid-state storage, it may be advantageous to bring the temperature of the solid-state storage to a temperature with Scope for better data retention.

Certain embodiments disclosed herein provide hardware and/or software/firmware systems and mechanisms for relatively quickly heating a data storage device or a portion thereof. In some embodiments, host operations may be delayed to allow the data storage device, or a portion thereof, to more quickly enter a desired thermal operating range, potentially increasing reliability. The heating mechanisms disclosed herein may involve initiating activity within a data storage device, such as by executing software/firmware routines and/or energizing specific hardware to warm at least a portion of the device. When the temperature is within the desired operating range, the host may be permitted to accept commands.

With respect to hard disk memory devices and/or components, certain embodiments provide for reserving/creating one or more "dirty" tracks including intentionally introduced errors, and reading the "dirty" tracks to cause multiple iterations of the read channel to Read data correctly. Certain embodiments provide increased activity by executing read and/or write commands to memory, such as double data rate (DDR) memory modules. Certain embodiments provide increased device activity through additional sequential reads from storage media. Certain embodiments provide increased device activity by performing random seek operations.

With respect to solid state memory devices and/or components, specific routines or hardware mechanisms may be utilized to increase the thermal temperature of the solid state device while deferring host write operations. Such processes can allow solid-state memory to enter a safe thermal operating range, thereby increasing the memory's data retention capabilities. Thermal energy generating device activities may comprise any of a number of possible processes and/or mechanisms. Certain embodiments provide for the use of certain reserved blocks of memory (eg, blocks of NAND memory) that are dedicated or primarily used for operations that pre-warm the device. Certain embodiments provide for ONFI and/or solid state memory block activity caused by device heating routines and/or triggering specific hardware, which can cause desired heating in the storage device. When the temperature reaches the desired operating range, the device can be allowed to write to the NAND. Certain embodiments provide device heating by reading data from solid state memory and transferring data from solid state memory to a memory controller. Certain embodiments provide device heating by issuing benign memory management commands to solid-state memory.

Certain embodiments provide for reserving and/or dedicating one or more blocks of solid-state memory to be used by the warm-up mechanism/algorithm. Such blocks may be used for user data only; damage to such blocks due to overuse may be acceptable. For example, a heating algorithm may include repeatedly erasing reserved blocks, repeatedly programming reserved blocks, and/or repeatedly reading reserved blocks.

While certain mechanisms are described for increasing temperature through increased activity in a data storage device, it should be understood that any combination of the mechanisms disclosed herein may be implemented within the scope of the present disclosure. Additionally, other mechanisms, such as algorithms, that increase temperature through increased activity are aimed at energizing certain device electronics to increase thermal energy in a relatively short period of time.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a process 500 for managing temperature in a data storage system, according to one or more embodiments. At block 502, process 500 includes detecting a temperature associated with at least a portion of a data storage device (eg, a temperature associated with non-volatile memory of the data storage device writing host data). Temperature sensing may be triggered in conjunction with system power-up, and/or may be performed periodically or sporadically. In some embodiments, temperature detection may be triggered by receipt of a write command or other host command.

At block 506, it is determined whether the temperature of the data storage device or a portion thereof is below a certain threshold temperature. If the temperature is not below the threshold temperature, process 500 may proceed to block 514 where the write data associated with the received write command may be written to the non-volatile memory of the data storage device.

If it is determined that the temperature is below an associated threshold level, process 500 may include further determining at block 506 whether a critical write condition exists where it is necessary or desirable to The nonvolatile memory performs data writing. If so, the process 500 may proceed to block 516 where data writes to the non-volatile memory may be allowed to proceed according to a data rewrite prioritization scheme. Data rewrite prioritization is described in more detail below in conjunction with FIG. 6 . In some embodiments, the determination at block 506 is not performed, and an affirmative determination at block 504 causes the process to proceed directly to block 507 . At block 507, data writing to the non-volatile memory may be at least partially inhibited in view of the low detection temperature. As noted above, such suppression may sufficiently prevent user data from being written to non-volatile memory under low temperature conditions, which could lead to various adverse effects.

In order to prevent data from being unnecessarily written to non-volatile memory at temperatures below a temperature threshold, some embodiments provide for performing certain incremental device The temperature associated with the memory reaches a safe level. At block 508, certain drive operations may be performed as a mechanism to increase the temperature in at least a portion or region of the data storage device. Process 500 may involve powering up a device controller with relatively high data rate random activity. For example, pages may be read randomly and/or errors may be intentionally introduced such that the channel (eg, for a Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) embodiment) is subjected to additional iterations, processor computations, etc. beyond the current duty cycle. Intentional error introduction can be achieved by inverting the bits of the read data, which can lead to increased activity in the error channel. In some embodiments, the reference pattern is read and an operation is performed, such as an exclusive OR gate (XOR) with a random pattern, and fed to the channel, resulting in increased erroneous channel activity. In the case of hybrid data storage devices, even when data is being written only to the solid-state parts of the device, the disks can be spun up to increase the temperature of the device.

Rapid heating of storage device components in disk drives below operating specifications may provide increased reliability because there may be a shorter time for the mechanism to operate outside of device specifications. Additionally, user data may not be compromised due to host access to user data outside of thermal specification conditions.

At block 510, process 500 may include re-sensing the temperature of at least a portion of the data storage device to determine whether the temperature has risen above a threshold level. System block 512 of process 500 includes determining whether the temperature has risen above a threshold. If not, process 500 may return to block 508 where additional drive operations may be performed to continue raising the temperature of the data storage device. If the temperature has risen above the threshold, process 500 may proceed to block 514 where data may be allowed to be written to the non-volatile memory of the data storage device.

Data Rewrite Scheduling

For certain storage device maintenance operations (such as garbage collection, wear leveling, etc.), write temperature may be considered in determining the priority/timing for performing such operations. In some embodiments, write temperature may be considered a primary factor for determining maintenance schedules, among other possible factors such as P/E cycle count, age of data, amount of invalid data, and the like.

In some cases, it may be necessary or desirable to record data at low temperatures. For example, surveillance equipment in public transport or equipment operating at high altitudes (eg, drones) may have to record data in relatively cold environments (eg, -20°C or lower under certain conditions). Certain embodiments disclosed herein provide for preferential overwriting of data recorded at low temperatures when the data storage device subsequently experiences a temperature increase. Rewriting of data written at low temperatures can help expand the range of device capabilities.

Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating a process for managing temperature in a data storage system, according to one or more embodiments. While certain other embodiments of temperature management solutions presented herein may be primarily preventive in nature, process 600 may be primarily corrective in nature. When data is recorded at low temperatures, initially, the error rate may be similar to data recorded at higher temperatures. However, data recorded at lower temperatures may degrade significantly more rapidly as the temperature of the device increases. Thus, prioritization of rewriting such data may be desirable.

At block 602, process 600 may include receiving a write command. For example, a write command may be received by a data storage device from a host device or system. At block 604, process 600 includes detecting that a temperature of at least a portion of the data storage device is below a threshold level. At block 606, process 600 includes writing data associated with the write command to the non-volatile solid-state memory of the data storage device. Certain embodiments implement writing temperature data records at the block-level; all data for a block may be associated with the same temperature metadata. In some embodiments, the schedule for garbage collection of a block is determined using the lowest recorded temperature of a page or segment of data within the block. In some embodiments, an integrity scan is performed periodically (e.g., daily), where background activities include analyzing the health of the memory (e.g., NAND), identifying blocks that were written at low temperatures, and Blocks are scheduled to be rewritten at a temperature of a threshold (eg, 25° C.).

Temperature data associated with the write temperature may also be recorded. At block 608, process 600 includes detecting that a temperature of the data storage device, or a portion thereof, has risen above the threshold level or other threshold levels. In some embodiments, the storage device is configured to execute firmware that records written temperature data indicative of a temperature of at least a portion of the device when the associated data is written.

At block 610, the process 600 includes rewriting data previously written to the non-volatile solid-state memory of the data storage device to a different block of the non-volatile memory after the temperature has risen above the threshold or other threshold or location.

In some embodiments, at a later time, a background activity may be performed to scan blocks containing data programmed at low temperatures to schedule such blocks for use when the temperature is within an acceptable range (e.g., above 25°C). for garbage collection. Background data integrity scans can also enable this feature. Garbage collection activity can be prioritized by recording temperature; the lower the temperature, the higher the priority can be.

Additional embodiments

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that in some embodiments, other types of temperature management systems may be implemented while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, the actual steps taken in the processes discussed herein may differ from those steps described or illustrated in the figures. Depending on the embodiment, some of the steps described above may be removed, and/or other steps may be added.

While certain embodiments have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope. Indeed, the novel methods and systems described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the methods and systems described herein may be made. The appended claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of protection. For example, the various components shown in the figures may be implemented as software and/or firmware on a processor, application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field programmable gate array (FPGA), or dedicated hardware. Furthermore, the features and attributes of the particular embodiments disclosed above may be combined in various ways to form additional embodiments, all of which fall within the scope of the present disclosure. While this disclosure provides certain preferred embodiments and applications, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that other embodiments, including embodiments that do not provide all of the features and advantages set forth herein, are also within the scope of this disclosure. within range. Accordingly, it is intended that the scope of the present disclosure be limited only by reference to the appended claims.

All the processes described above can be embodied as software code modules executed by one or more general or special purpose computers or processors, and all the processes described above can be fully automated via these software code modules. These code modules can be stored on any type of computer readable medium or other computer storage device or collection of storage devices. Some or all of these methods may alternatively be embodied in specialized computer hardware.

Claims (21)

1. a kind of data storage device, including：

Non-volatile solid state memory；

Temperature sensor；

Firing equipment；And

Controller, the controller are configured as：

The temperature signal from the temperature sensor is received, the temperature signal indicates at least the one of the data storage device Partial temperature；

Determine that the temperature is less than the first predetermined threshold；

The firing equipment is activated, to increase at least one of temperature of the data storage device；And

The data associated with writing commands are written to the non-volatile solid state memory.

2. data storage device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is additionally configured at least partially by institute State the activation firing equipment increases to described the by least one of temperature of the data storage device It is more than one predetermined threshold.

3. data storage device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is additionally configured to write by the data Enter to before the non-volatile solid state memory, determine at least one of temperature of the data storage device It has been increased to more than second predetermined threshold.

4. data storage device according to claim 3, wherein first predetermined threshold and second predetermined threshold It is identical.

5. data storage device according to claim 1, wherein the firing equipment includes resistance heating device.

6. data storage device according to claim 1, in addition to printed circuit board (PCB) are PCB, wherein described non-volatile Solid-state memory is installed to the first side of the PCB.

7. data storage device according to claim 6, wherein the firing equipment is installed to and first side phase To the PCB the second side.

8. data storage device according to claim 6, wherein the firing equipment is installed to adjacent to described non-volatile The PCB of property solid-state memory first side.

9. data storage device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is additionally configured to：

Determine whether there is critical Writing condition；

If there is the critical Writing condition, then said write is allowed to continue under rewrite preferences scheme；And

If there is no the critical Writing condition, then suppress said write, until the temperature reaches the described first predetermined threshold Value.

10. a kind of data storage device, including：

Non-volatile media；

Temperature sensor；And

Controller, the controller are configured as：

The temperature signal from the temperature sensor is received, the temperature signal indicates at least the one of the data storage device Partial temperature；

Determine that the temperature is less than threshold value；

Start the activity in one or more parts of the data storage device, to increase described in the data storage device At least one of temperature；And

Writing commands are handled, the data associated with said write order are written to the non-volatile media.

11. data storage device according to claim 10, wherein the work started in one or more of parts It is dynamic to include reading the data being stored in the non-volatile media.

12. data storage device according to claim 11, wherein the work started in one or more of parts It is dynamic also to include introducing errors into the data read from the non-volatile media, to increase the data storage device In error correction activity.

13. data storage device according to claim 10, wherein the non-volatile media includes magnetic head and rotary magnetic Disk, and the wherein described activity started in one or more of parts includes rotating the spinning disk.

14. data storage device according to claim 10, wherein the non-volatile media includes magnetic head and rotary magnetic Disk, and the wherein described activity started in one or more of parts includes finding the magnetic head.

15. data storage device according to claim 10, wherein the non-volatile media includes nonvolatile solid state Memory, and the activity started in one or more of parts is included in not for the described of storage host data One or more data manipulations are performed on the reserved area of non-volatile solid state memory.

16. data storage device according to claim 10, wherein the work started in one or more of parts Move to be included in the non-volatile media and perform data management activity.

17. data storage device according to claim 10, wherein the controller is additionally configured to：In the startup institute After stating the activity in one or more parts, whether determine the temperature at or greater than the threshold value, and if this Sample, then data storage device described in host device is notified to be ready to receive writing commands.

18. a kind of data storage device, including：

Non-volatile solid state memory；

Temperature sensor；And

Controller, the controller are configured as：

The data associated with writing commands are written to the non-volatile solid state memory；

Store the write-in temperature data indicated by the temperature sensor；

Determine that at least one of temperature of the data storage device has been increased to more than predetermined threshold；And

Said write temperature data is based at least partially on, by the rewriting data to the non-volatile solid state memory.

19. data storage device according to claim 18, wherein described be based at least partially on said write temperature number It is excellent including being carried out based on said write temperature data to the garbage collection operations of the data storage device according to the data are rewritten First level sequence.

20. data storage device according to claim 18, wherein in response to the determination data storage device At least one of temperature has been increased to more than the predetermined threshold, performs the rewriting data.

21. data storage device according to claim 18, wherein said write temperature data indicate to order with said write The associated data of order whether when described at least a portion of the data storage device is less than the predetermined threshold quilt Write-in.